When someone acquires an existing home, the initial focus typically falls on the interior—realizing their vision for how they want to live while bringing systems and spaces up to modern standards. The owners of this Bochum residence followed this familiar path, modernizing their 1950s home with its distinctive architectural character and making select floor plan adjustments. The facade, however, remained untouched, and the garden—with its cramped, uneven terrace and sloping terrain—received only basic maintenance. It would take a full decade before the garden finally had its moment.

Bringing fundamental order to the garden and making everything a little "prettier" was the wish that Ole Wetterich from the Type A. Architect Team was asked to put into practice. Looking at the result, he has succeeded. What's more, the garden blends in perfectly with the architecture of the house, looking as if it had always been there and enriching the property with an open-air living room with a terrace, pool and pool deck. The mature trees and newly added shrubs and grasses set the scene for the approximately 843 m² property in every season. The basic structure of the building was already adapted in the 1980s and the original entrance to the adjoining room was converted into a staircase. Since then, the house has been entered through the former servants' entrance on the side. In order to restore the original entrance to its former glory, the overgrown areas in front of it were cleared and the entrance opened up to the street. A staged entrance through flowering shrubs and grasses swaying in the wind now represents the beginning of something new in the old structure. Pergola frames both form and enclose the space and take on different functions depending on their location: sometimes with a closed field as a canopy over the front door, with a crossbeam as a holding point for awnings, or with closed side panels as a technical room for the pool. Thanks to the clever integration of the supporting structure, the frames seem to float above everything in their radiant green. The generous shrub bed and the pool in front of the terrace are no less dominant features, forming the heart of the garden and adding another element to the adjoining living room next to the terrace. The sliding, walk-on pool deck provides additional sunbathing space at the edge of the pool and protection from unwanted dips. Its new sandy-grey paintwork with contrasting white frames, the warm grey of the floor tiles and the vibrant green of the pergolas create an elegant overall look.

www.typ-a.com

Photos:
Sebastian Kautz
www.sebastiankautz.de

(Published in CUBE Ruhrgebiet 01|25)